The Hodgman Liberal Government is committed to rebuilding Tasmania Police to keep our community safe.
Today’s announcement about developments in an ongoing operation targeting organised crime demonstrates Tasmania is not immune from this kind of criminal activity.
That’s why we welcome the Australian Government’s decision to base an Australian Federal Police National Anti-Gang Squad liaison officer in the State and to embed within Tasmania Police an Australian Crime Commission intelligence analyst.
These specialised intelligence capabilities will complement our investment in recruiting an additional 108 police officers over four years to reverse the cuts of the previous Labor-Green government.
This week, we announced that we are acquiring two additional drug and money detector dogs to further enhance Tasmania Police capabilities and particularly assist with operations targeting trade in illegal drugs.
Through Unexplained Wealth legislation, we are also pursuing the finances of organised criminal groups, and we have allocated $1.3 million in the Budget to resource prosecutions arising from those investigations.
While it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the ongoing operations, I do commend Tasmania Police on the outcomes achieved thus far.
Rene Hidding, Minister for Police and Emergency Management
